The Selected Metropolitan/Micropolitan Area Risk Trends (SMART) project uses the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to analyze the data of selected metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas (MMSAs) with 500 or more respondents. BRFSS data can be used to identify emerging health problems, establish and track health objectives, and develop and evaluate public health policies and programs.

The Chronic Disease Indicators (CDI) is a cross-cutting set of 97 indicators that were developed by consensus and that allows states and territories and large metropolitan areas to uniformly define, collect, and report chronic disease data that are important to public health practice and available for states, territories and large metropolitan areas.

Passing through some of the most sparsely populated territory in the country, I-90 connects Seattle, Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo, and Boston. Selected cities along the route are labeled, for reference, with cities of 250,000 or more shown in bold and with filled circles.

Median household income varies by county across the United States. Predominantly rural counties across parts of the South, Southwest, Midwest, and Appalachia have some of the lower median incomes in the country. Counties with higher median household incomes are generally located in the Boston-to-Washington corridor, in larger metropolitan statistical areas, and along the coasts.

Test your knowledge of population data! Start by choosing your geographic level: metro areas or states. Click on the name in each match-up that you think has the larger population. Green shows a correct answer, red indicates an incorrect answer. When you have opposing names picked for the next round, pick again. See how close you can come to a perfect score of 63. When you are finished, play again or mouse-over results to view the most current population estimates for each pair.

This detailed look at annual percentage change in state population over the last decade shows variation in growth patterns. In recent years, North Dakota, and the District of Columbia have had the highest growth rates, in percentage terms, in the country. States such as Nevada and Arizona, fast-growers a decade ago, have had some moderation in their growth rates but the states continue to increase in population.